That Night
by FictionCookie
Summary: Shawn's return to the WWE has brought back some unwanted memories and feelings for Hunter, leading to a startling revelation.


_Note: This is my first attempt at writing a WWE story, much less a yaoi one, so bare with me here. :) I wanted to write my take on how Shawn and Hunter could have ever become an item. :) I'd ideally like to include this as a part of a long Shawn/Hunter story I'm working on called "Two Words For You", but that's a ways off yet, so I posted this one ahead of schedule :) I'm thinking of creating that long story as a series so I can post chapters as one-shots out of order as and when I write them, but maybe in the future I'll release the whole thing in chronological order as a chaptered story. :)_

Hunter quickly hurried into the hotel room, tossing his bag carelessly at the side of his bed and perching himself on the edge of the mattress, head in hands. He gripped tightly, painfully at his light brown hair, pulling it away from the scalp.  
Everything was wrong.  
Shawn had only been back in his life for a month, but it felt like no time had passed since their time together back in the 90s. For two years Shawn had been basically out of his life, and while it hurt tremendously at first, the agony of his absence subsided as Hunter lost himself in his work and his friends.  
Now Shawn had returned and it felt like the broken piece of Hunter's heart was fiercely trying to ram itself back into place, never succeeding but never relenting.  
Hunter hated himself for allowing his heart to betray him again, just like it did back in the 90s.

Hunter kept reminding himself that this wasn't the 90s. This wasn't like the times where bumps and bruises were washed away with pills and alcohol, day after day, night after night. This wasn't back in the eras of endless partying only hindered by matches and travelling. The Attitude Era, as it is now commonly known, was a different world entirely, with different lifestyles, cliques, characters and, to put it candidly, attitudes.

A part of Hunter missed those days, but he had changed with the times and adapted with ease. He liked the new era of the WWE, even if it meant less parties and stricter codes of conduct. He thought it was best for the business and a small price to pay for how it improved the vibe of the locker room.  
What Hunter did miss about those days was the time he got to spend with Shawn.

As he awaited his friend's return to their hotel room, Hunter's mind wondered back to some of his fondest memories with Shawn. The outrageous skits with D-Generation X, like the time they played strip poker in the ring, wore windscreen wiper helmets to mock Sgt. Slaughter, and read the USA Network letter of banned profanity in the most ironic segment fathomable. Then there were the incredible matches the duo had together, especially in the feud with Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation. Naturally, wild parties with Shawn and some of the other members of the locker room were entertaining to look back on as well.

Hunter looked around at the bland hotel room as he sat on the edge of his bed. In many ways, it looked a lot similar to the one from that night. The hotel room that night had the same crumby television that no doubt only got three channels, one of them being the weather. It had the same off-white duvet covers and overly firm mattresses, along with cheap feathered pillows that poked feather tips from inside the casing. It had the same tiny bathroom that you could barely move in, just leaving enough room for a small walk-in shower and a little sink. It had the same dark oak furniture, the same overpriced mini bar, and the same great view of the beautifully lit cityscape beyond it.

But this wasn't like that night.

That night they were so intoxicated and loaded from as many pills as Shawn had gotten his hands on that the world was a spinning blur, leaving them unable to tell up from down as they filled their lungs and livers with every damning substance they could find.  
That night they drink and laughed together until the early hours of the morning, reveling in the freedom and of each other's company.  
That night Hunter had lost his hotel key someone in the scrabble of the bar, leaving Shawn to offer him shelter in his hotel. They stumbled down the dimly lit road, Shawn's arm draped over Hunter's shoulder as they sang any song that fluttered into their minds loudly into the night sky.  
That night they were alone, together, lost in the dizzying blur of alcohol and adrenaline, a cocktail of euphoria. Everything seemed right, just right. It was as if time had stopped, the world had ground to a shuddering halt, just to allow them a single night with each other with no strings, no consequences, no painful emotions.  
That night it was just Shawn and Hunter, no-one else.

This was different. This was the born-again Shawn Michaels, the Shawn that had found his salvation in God and with it a new path of clean living. No drinking, no drugs, no wild and crazy nights… he was a completely different man. Some members of the locker room didn't appreciate his new behavior, thinking it was some uptight gimmick and that he was only kidding himself. Mostly, however, the boys in the back thought his new way of life was a welcomed change and congratulated him for his dedication to cleaning up his act.  
Despite the jarring change of character, one thing stayed the same… this was still the man Hunter hated himself for falling in love with all those years ago.  
He loved the new Shawn, the Shawn that wasn't drowning in addiction. He was overjoyed to see his friend recover in such a remarkable way… but so much had changed. Hunter wondered how much had changed with them too.

They never spoke again about what happened that night. The little each man remembered was buried in the depths of their mind. It was like it never happened, and that was how it remained. Of course, the secret was helped by Shawn's imminent departure from the company and, subsequently, from Hunter. It was a dark time for Shawn, a time that Hunter wishes he could have helped his friend through, but it was no use. Shawn needed time to heal - mentally, physically and spiritually.

Now he was back and that buried secret unearthed itself once again.  
While he never talked to Shawn about how he felt, he never forgot about that night. He wished he could, mostly due to the overwhelming shame he felt. He put it out of his mind any time it popped up, but some things can't be repressed forever as seeing Shawn now, clean and sober and as vivacious as ever, Hunter knew…

…he knew he still loved the man.


End file.
